Damisa teams up with dLocal to expand APAC settlement

Damisa has partnered with dLocal to expand cross-border settlement across Asia-Pacific, gaining access to dLocal's local payment network in the region.

The partnership connects Damisa's platform to local payment rails across APAC through a single integration, allowing merchant customers to settle directly into local bank accounts. Existing users do not need any additional technical integration to access the new settlement routes.

Damisa focuses on business-to-business cross-border payments in emerging-market corridors. The arrangement extends its reach in APAC and reduces the need for customers to manage multiple regional providers for local settlement.

dLocal operates a cross-border payments network that connects merchants to local acquirers and payment methods in emerging markets. This partnership provides the final stage of settlement in APAC through local bank transfers, while Damisa continues to offer fiat and stablecoin-based settlement infrastructure on its platform.

The model is intended to address recurring challenges for companies moving money across emerging markets, including slow settlement times, fragmented banking relationships and operational complexity. Under the arrangement, Damisa customers can collect, hold and pay out funds in more than 70 currencies, with the APAC settlement leg handled through dLocal's local rails.

The partnership also reflects growing competition among payments firms seeking to simplify cross-border transactions for merchants selling into fast-growing markets. Businesses often face a patchwork of country-specific compliance rules, local banking arrangements and payment systems, making expansion across Asia-Pacific costly and difficult to manage.

APAC focus

Asia-Pacific has become a priority region for financial technology groups involved in international payments as trade flows and digital commerce continue to expand. The companies cited forecasts that the APAC cross-border commerce market will exceed USD $4 trillion by 2028.

That opportunity has increased demand for payment systems that can move funds more quickly into local bank accounts, particularly in markets where traditional correspondent banking chains add delays and costs. According to the companies, the partnership will allow merchants to settle in hours rather than days.

Damisa says the blockchain layer behind its stablecoin settlement model remains invisible to the end user. It presents its service as a regulated payments and settlement platform that combines fiat and stablecoin flows while shielding customers from technical complexity.

dLocal, which is listed on Nasdaq, says its network gives merchants access to more than 1,000 local payment methods, including cards, bank transfers, e-wallets and mobile money, across emerging markets. Its business model is built around helping global merchants access local payment and payout infrastructure without establishing local entities or contracting with multiple processors in each country.

Executive views

Thomas Pinter outlined Damisa's view of the regional opportunity.

"APAC represents one of the most significant opportunities in global B2B payments, and dLocal gives us the local rail access and regulatory footing in the APAC markets where it operates to move quickly and responsibly in the region. This partnership means our customers can reach new markets without any additional integration on their side. That is the kind of seamless expansion we are building Damisa to deliver," said Thomas Pinter, Co-Founder and Chief Commercial Officer, Damisa.

Richard Healy highlighted the operational challenges the companies aim to address.

"Cross-border settlement in APAC can be complex. Fragmented rails, local compliance requirements, in-country operational demands. That is exactly what our infrastructure is built to absorb. Damisa is building for corridors that have been underserved for too long, and this partnership gives them the foundation to do it at scale," said Richard Healy, Commercial VP (APAC) at dLocal.

The deal gives dLocal greater exposure to transaction flows from Damisa's business customer base, while giving Damisa a broader regional settlement footprint through a single connection rather than separate country-by-country arrangements. For merchants, the immediate effect is access to local bank settlement across key APAC markets through the same system they already use.

Damisa is regulated in the European Union as a virtual asset service provider and is pursuing additional licences. The latest agreement is designed to support businesses moving money across Asia-Pacific through local settlement infrastructure with a single fee structure and real-time transaction tracking.